Spring '04 Edition
What's up with Morris?
Rachel LindsayDaily Egyptian
Factoid: For more information about the library construction process, visit http://www.lib.siu.edu/hp/renovation.
The basement of Morris Library is slowly transforming into a hotspot of activity.
With the tentative beginning of the restructuring project, library staff are working hard to move books and journals to the only floor that will remain totally open for the next two years.
Over the past year, Morris Library has stepped up plans to restructure the existing building and attach 50,000 square feet of space. The new structure will consist of an Internet café, more computers, an auditorium and additional book space.
The process began about two years ago with a $29 million grant from the Illinois Board of Education. It has continued to evolve with a $12 million supplement and a temporary storage facility, McLafferty Annex, near the University Press.
During the first stage of the reconstruction, most of the library's collection will be moved to the temporary facility. Only print journals from the last 10 years, Library of Congress books and recent monographs will remain in the basement.
All but half of the main floor and the basement will be closed during this time. According to David Carlson, dean of Library Affairs, phase one should be completed sometime in 2006.
Groundbreaking for the project is scheduled for October and book transfer should begin sometime in January or February. As of now, the construction process for McLafferty Annex has not yet begun.
Phase two of the project allows the reopening of most of the library, minus those parts that have not been reconstructed yet. Books will be moved from the annex back into the library, and everything in the basement will be moved back upstairs. In addition, construction will begin on the new facility.
When the last of the project is completed, plans for mechanically compressed shelving in the basement will begin. According to Carlson, this is better for the books, although more inconvenient for people. He said the compressed stacks would allow more storage space in one place, as well as create less of a fire hazard, and keep the books from too much light exposure.
Carlson said while the project is going on, the library and its collections would be scattered in seven different buildings throughout campus. This has caused concern among many students and faculty who need access to library materials to teach and learn.
Access was one of the main topics discussed at the Future of Morris Library workshop Friday. The event was held to allow students and faculty to express concerns about the process, according to Morteza Daneshdoost, president of the Faculty Association.
Daneshdoost said the association had received so many calls with questions regarding the project, he decided an open forum would help ease concerns and address issues important to the library's constituency.
One of the questions brought up was whether students and faculty would be able to browse through the books at the annex. Carlson said the annex would be open to the public, although it would close earlier than the main library building.
Another accessibility question concerned delivery of books and the timeliness. While a transportation system had been discussed, those at the meeting wanted to know exactly how it would work.
While the transportation system has always been on the agenda, Carlson said the details are still being worked out. His goal is a two-hour delivery period from the time of the request. However, there may be a cut off on how late at night the delivery service will run, he said.
"We'd like to set up a delivery service that would bob around frequently," he said. "And would make nothing but the tracks of the various places where library staff and the collections are."
Because of the remote location of the annex, Carlson said the library is attempting to set up a shuttle for people as well. Plans for the service are still underway.
Other topics discussed during the meeting were the use of the additional library space and the mission and scope of the library. Faculty expressed a concern about getting students go to the library when the books are no longer conveniently located.
Steve Koneiczka, a senior in speech communication from Carbondale, put together a survey to gauge student knowledge and opinion on the project as a result of questions raised at the 
State of the University address in March.
According to Koneiczka, students are generally uniformed about the project and its timetable.
"People don't know what's going on," he said.
Carlson said the library staff is excited about the opportunity to make Morris more accessible. They have already begun to move journals to stacks in the basement, placing them in alphabetical order in one spot for the first time in library history.
"It's going to be a lot easier for students and faculty to find things," he said. "This is the early start of phase one of the construction."
Before the library begins its reconstruction, a ceremony will be held to document the old building's benefit to the campus and community. Carlson said although many of the services will be the same, locations and accessibility would be changed.
"When Morris library is open in three years, it is going to be an entirely different building," he said. "There will be echoes of Morris. The Morris we know ˜ for example, the Hall of Presidents, will be, by and large, unchanged, and the stairwells are not going to move ˜ but that's about it."
Newsbriefs | pulse - Arts & Entertainment | Calendar | Photo Staff
Apts & Rentals | Photo Personals | Live DE NewsCam | Classified Ads
Last update: Friday, April 30, 2004 at 2:24:09 AM
Copyright 2009 Daily Egyptian Spring 04